In April 2017 the left wing of the National Union of Students (NUS) lost the Presidency, having held the post for one year. Malia Bouattia was defeated in her bid for re-election and the NUS right wing have retaken the top officer position in NUS, alongside a majority on the leadership team.

It is vital for the left in the student movement to analyse accurately the reasons for this defeat and draw the lessons, as otherwise mistakes will be repeated and the left will fail to take advantage of the advances of the left in society as a whole reflected in the Corbyn leadership of the Labour Party and its advance at the General Election.

The first step is to understand that this defeat for the left was entirely unnecessary; student politics has not shifted rightwards this past year, nor was the NUS National Conference dominated by the right wing. Left wing motions for free education, against cuts and austerity, against racism and the Islamophobic Prevent agenda, among other issues, were passed with large majorities. Therefore the conclusion must be drawn that the left failed to unite the broad layers of students who support free education and oppose austerity, racism and war behind their candidates in the election. Radicalised students were confused and divided at the Conference and did not rally behind the incumbent left leadership.

At Thursday's General Election, in seats across the country, students and young people mobilised to oust right wing politicians and secure gains for the Labour Party. One of the most spectacular successes was in Canterbury, where students mobilised in force to win the seat for Labour for the first time ever. University of Kent student activist Douglas Carr was central to the campaign on campus and explains what happened.

Tomorrow, Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party are giving us the opportunity to vote for a different kind of politics which will make students, young people and indeed the overwhelming majority of society much better off.

Students need a fighting NUS to take on the Tories, cuts, austerity, hard Brexit and racism. We need an NUS that stands for free education, liberation and defending students against the enormous attacks we are facing from the Tory government.

At this year's forthcoming NUS National Conference the number one task for the left is to ensure the re-election of Malia Boauttia as NUS President. Malia's election last year was a historic victory, the first Black woman and the first Muslim to win this position in NUS’ history. Malia was elected on a platform of supporting free education, fighting the cuts, championing liberation and equality, fighting all forms of racism, opposing war and tackling climate change. Securing her re-election is the priority for the left.

Also at this year's conference there are proposals being put forward to change NUS' internal democratic arrangements. There is some confusion, including on the left, about the character of the suggested changes. So it is necessary for the proposals to be given serious examination. Should these proposals be implemented NUS’ capacity to defend students would be significantly weakened, so they need to be rejected.

Malia Bouattia is seeking re-election as NUS National President at next week’s NUS National Conference. Student Broad Left urges delegates to vote Malia next week.

We need a fighting NUS that takes on the Tories, opposes austerity and relentlessly defends education. As NUS National President Malia has started to turn NUS around from an organisation which has spent the past 20 years supporting tuition fees and failing to defend students from huge attacks into a new movement demanding free education for all.

Kelechi is an activist in the NUS Black Students' and Disabled Students' Campaigns and an asylum seeker who came to the UK out of fear for her life in Nigeria, as a wheelchair-using disabled woman suffering mental health issues.

The Home Office has rejected her plea to remain in the UK, stating her reasons ‘insufficient’ - despite her having suffered sexual abuse from co-workers as well as verbal abuse and beatings, having been considered a curse by her family.

My thoughts today are with the victims who lost their lives and those who were injured at yesterday’s horrific attack on Westminster Bridge and Parliament. I join millions of Londoners in expressing my deepest sympathies to the victims and their families and friends. The emergency services worked tirelessly and bravely in response to a shocking and deadly attack.

This horrific attack must not and will not cause division. It is a testament to London that it has withstood attacks of this nature by standing together instead of communities turning on each other.
We are already seeing far right groups such as Britain First seeking to sow division, hatred and whip up Islamophobia in the wake of this tragedy.

In response to the horrific attacks yesterday we must come together in the spirit of unity and anti-racism and with a determination to not let terror and hatred divide us.

Today tens of thousands of people are taking part in the national day of action against Donald Trump and the proposed State Visit.

For the details of the Stop Trump and One Day Without Us national day of action page click here. In addition to other actions across the country, thousands of people are expected to turn out for a rally this evening in Parliament Square from 5pm.

Today, the man who has vilified, attacked and threatened African Americans, Muslims, people of Asian descent, Latinx, immigrants, women, Jewish people, the LGBT community and disabled people, gets inaugurated as the 45th President of United States of America.

All that's left to do is to fight back from the minute his presidency starts and over the next 4 years.